Disc 21. Land Of Make Believe - 9:092. Hide And Seek (Ready Or Not Here I Come) - 8:393. The Day After (Our First Night Together) - 7:384. Children Of Sanchez [Main Theme] - 6:495. B'Bye - 5:066. Children Of Sanchez [Finale] - 3:557. Main Squeeze - 6:358. Feels So Good (Encore) - 3:14

“Martial Solal is a nuclear physicist of the piano. He tinkers with the subatomic structure of compositions, moving elements around, pulling them apart, and smashing them together in ways that both surprise and delight. Solal was born Algiers in 1927, settling in Paris in 1950 where he worked with Django Reinhardt and American expatriates Sidney Bechet and Don Byas. He has maintained an impressive creative profile for the past 50 years that involves solo, small group, and big band formats. Solal has also been a successful movie soundtrack composer, producing music for Les Acteurs (2000) and Ballade a blanc (1983). Now in his 80s, his performances take on the aire of a grand event. As such, it is fitting that his October 12, 2007 solo appearance at New York City's Village Vanguard was captured and released as Live at the Village Vanguard: I Can't Give You Anything But Love. His previous live recording at the Vanguard, NY1: Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 2003) was met with much adulation as was the show that generated it in the wake of September 11, 2001. Relaxed and amiable, Solal banters with the crowd in his French-accented English, explaining that they both must be good as he is making a live recording. He then proceeds to stroll through a recital of seven standards and two original compositions in what can only be described as in a very post-modern, deconstructionist manner. His command of the material is paradoxically dense and atomized with playing that betrays a knowledge of all styles of jazz piano, which he picks and chooses to employ at his creative whim. That "whim" is very informed. "On Green Dolphin Street?" he turns the familiar melody inside out, re- harmonizing and redefining the piece well beyond its early 20th Century origins. Solal transforms the interrogative "Lover Man" into a declarative statement of fact and strains the brains of Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight" through modernity's defining sieve, exposing all of the soft underparts Monk didn't. Solal extends the language of Monk further than any other pianist. His two original compositions, "Centre De Gravité" and "Ramage" are no less compelling, acting as an extension of Solal's artistic command. Live at the Village Vanguard: I Can't Give You Anything But Love is as perfect a jazz recording as we could hope for. Few giants remain, so let us honor Martial Solal.~C. Michael Bailey, allaboutjazz.com”

REVIEW: George Adams and Don Pullen have been jointly leading their quartet for a number of years now and consequently the band operates like a well oiled machine. This is not to say that any kind of complacency has set in and total commitment is discernible in all their performances. Add a strong improviser like John Scofield and you’ve probably backed a winner. From the moment that the rhythm section steam into the Scofield original I.J. we know that it’s time to sit up and take notice. The guitarist stretches out in imaginative style, Adams attacks in that bleating abrasive fashion and Pullen, one of the most exciting pianists around, swings fiercely over the length and breadth of the keyboard. The tenorist indulges in some of his beloved r’n'b tenor over the funky rhythm of Flame Games, the guitar takes the honours on Well, I Guess, hot chords progressing into lines of smouldering intensity and the pianist serves up an interesting mixture of heavy percussive chords allied to that very individual treble work when confronted by Forever Lovers, an attractive waltz composed by Adams. Pullen’s own Song Everlasting kicks off as a ballad in the hands of the tenorist, moves into double time for a subplot played in unison by saxophone and guitar, and finally opens out to give the leaders plus their guest an ideal vehicle for their respective talents. Scofield is outstandingly expressive on this final track. Suffice to say that Brown and Richmond constitute the kind of bedrock that good bands are founded on, which just leaves me to recommend this record to all modernists! (Peter Gamble, JJ)

This is simply a fantastic album, and I cannot fathom why it has not be issued on CD, particularly with Lloyd's recent acceptance as an elder statesman. I've searched for years, and finally gave up. I have a nice turntable, but I damaged the stylus moving it last year. Given that I only have a handful of records I need to digitize, I put off replacing it. Well, I started shopping for a USB turntable, and quickly realized that the cost was going to be close to what it would cost to replace my cartridge. As it happens, that was not entirely true, but I was able to find a 'good enough' replacement for about 1/3 the cost thanks to some help from the good folks at Needle Doctor.

This album may contain one of my all-time favorite versions of Bill Evans' Very Early. While not essential, the whole date cooks, and Lloyd is in excellent form.

192KBPS mp3, but source material was Maxell tape recorded on a Panasonic 'boom' box

Clifford let us record this; I was 12. The band was awesome and the house was full. Among those in the audience: Steve Schwarz (WGBH), Alan Dawson, and John Lockwood. This was one of the first bands I saw (prior to this I'd seen George Coleman with Terri-Lynne Carrington at this venue, and Art Farmer at a local high school). Anyway, this is a nostalgic set for me, but it's great music. I sent Clifford the tapes, but he felt the sound quality was too low to be released. When I digitized it, it was in the early days of the technology and the results were somewhat sketchy. In the interim, my tape player died and I just don't care to pay to replace it, so I haven't redone these yet. Still, the music is great.

Allmusic.com:Ready for a 24-minute rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-a-ning"? You don't think so? Well, give it a shot -- you might be pleasantly surprised. Material from Dexter Gordon's May 1969 concert at the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore has already appeared on another live album (L.T.D., also on Prestige), but the three long tracks presented here are not cold leftovers. Opening with that 24-minute version of "Rhythm-a-ning," Gordon shows himself to be in peak form, improvising for a solid seven minutes without doing anything boring. Pianist Bobby Timmons is playing well too (though he's a bit hard to hear in the slightly unbalanced mix; bassist Victor Gaskin is, unfortunately, practically inaudible). And on this track, Percy Brice delivers one of what may be only two or three truly interesting drum solos in the history of jazz. The second tune is a version of "Misty" that comes across as surprisingly robust and rhythmically driven, despite its slow tempo and balladic melody; here, again, Gordon shines on an unusually long performance. The program culminates with a 22-minute rendition of "Love for Sale," which is given a gently propulsive and faintly Latin-tinged arrangement. Whether this can be considered an essential Dexter Gordon document is open to debate, but for those with a particular interest in the artist, it can be recommended without reservation. ~ Rick Anderson